Archive for month: October, 2017

inter’s here and don’t we know it! cold mornings and nights make it too easy to stay in and let our regular exercise take a break. Your toned summer body starts with hard work now!

Come spring we’re feeling a bit fluffy around the edges and ready to get back into our routine, the sneakers are dusted off and away we go. The joints are a bit stiff and you’re out of breath before you’ve made it past the end of the street. It’s now you wish you’d kept up the exercise through winter.

What can you do to keep up with exercise during the cooler months?

There are many options including working out in the comfort of your own home or joining a gym to help keep you fighting fit. Adding strength training to the mix, instead of being too focused on the usual cardio workout, will have you reaping the rewards for years to come.

Strength training is not a new thing, however many people, women in particular, tend to shy away from it, thinking it’s only for the hard core gym goers. There have been many studies into the benefits of strength training in its varied forms with outstanding results on its benefits, not only to your physical health, but the flow on affect it also has on your mental health.

Strength Training – an investment in your future!

Reduces the risk of osteoporosis, particularly in women. As women age hormonal changes result in the natural loss of bone density, hence increasing the chance of developing osteoporosis. Strength training can help bone strength and slow bone deterioration later in life

Helps prevent rolling over on your ankles; very important if you play sports like netball, dance, football etc

Getting Started

If you’re new to strength training, or even just gym workouts, or if you’ve had injuries in the past, it is always advisable to speak to a health professional first so to get a clear picture how to get strong without risking injury. Most health professionals will work in with your personal trainer, exercise physiologist or gym instructor to ensure you get the best outcome.

At Total Care Podiatry we have musculoskeletal podiatry and physiotherapy expertise in assessing your individual risk of musculoskeletal injury that may occur in taking up strength training.

We’ll work with you and your personal trainer so you’re able to reach your exercise goals with the least risk of injury.

Book online or call Total Care Podiatry on 5223 1531.

WARNING: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional advice. Treatment will vary between individuals depending upon your diagnosis and presenting complaint. An accurate diagnosis can only be made following personal consultation with a Podiatrist or Physiotherapist.

Paul Graham has been using plantar pressure analysis as part of his clinical practice since first purchasing an Fscan Mat and in-shoe system in 1998. It was a steep learning curve to understand the information behind the pretty colours and what it means. This form of analysis was in its infancy in Australia, and the only way of gaining an appreciable understanding of what the data represented and how could be used in clinical practice was gained through regular email and phone contact with a number of American podiatrists who had been using the Fscan system for many years.

The most well-known of these practitioners is Dr Howard Dannenberg and through this relationship Paul grew to understand the relationship of sagittal plane movement and the importance of how the foot has a significant effect on the rest of the body. In fact Paul’s foundational knowledge of recording, data management and analysis came through Howard’s leadership and the plantar pressure case studies that were shared. This knowledge base was further augmented when Dr Bruce Williams DPM, a protégé of Howard’s training, visited Australia in 2004 and stayed with Paul in Geelong, working and training him in his clinic. In 2005, Paul was invited to Latrobe University to present on his clinical use of plantar pressure in the prescription of the orthotic correction design.

Up until this stage, Paul was combining evidence-based examination and video gait assessment with plantar pressure analysis and, through this orthotic manufacture. The issue was that each part of the assessment used different equipment. In 2006 Paul moved to the Milletrex system, (forerunner of the Freestep software and Sensormedica hardware) and as this combined all aspects of the diagnostic and manufacturing process, he moved to this system. Again a learning curve was required to become familiar with the different parts of the system, however planter pressure is planter pressure and as such, once you understand the recording and data management side, analysis can be done.

In late 2010, the Freestep software program was presented and the engineers in Italy were keen to make it the best on the market. Through the years there have been regular updates making the program more user-friendly and the data presentation more valuable and easy to understand. In fact at present Paul is working with Scott Sorenson and the Italian software developers to enhance this further so that areas of dysfunction and asymmetry are easily noted and measured,. This will be valuable for both the initial assessment and also to easily chart improvement at review appointments. This continued refinement and development, makes Freestep a very valuable clinical tool.

Plantar pressure analysis can only grow in significance as it shows objective data that the eye cannot see. This is now even more important with the discovery that vertical force,( that we describe as pressure), is what causes the overloading that results in tissue damage, rather than any angular anomaly such as an inverted heel or lowering of the medial longitudinal arch. Using Freestep enables Paul to chart improvement effectively and efficiently each visit by simply having a person walk over the mat or treadmill and comparing it to the previous visit; all within five minutes. This is then a record of the patient’s progress, valuable, not only to the treating clinician, but also to any third party who is paying for the treatment.

Video gait assessment is very, very helpful in understanding the biomechanics of the body in motion and should be used in conjunction with planter pressure analysis; however Paul’s clinical use of plantar pressure analysis has led him to the conclusion that it is superior in consistency, ease and speed.